Question

How much would Sherman pay if he bought shoes for $20, a shirt for $31, and a tie for $23 and paid a 6% sales tax?

Answer 1

$78.44

Explanation:

1) Calculate the total price of the shoes, shirt, and tie:
`$20 + $31 + $23 = $74`

2) Since a 6% sales tax is added to the total (which we can denote as 100%), it's basically 106% of the total that you are paying (100% + 6% = 106%). But we must convert 106% to a decimal to get 1.06.

3) Multiply $74 with 1.06 to figure out the total price.
`$74 times 1.06 = $78.44`

Another way (slightly longer)
1) Calculate the total price of the shoes, shirt, and tie (which is $74).

2) Convert 6% to a decimal (0.06).

3) Multiply $74 with 0.06 (`$74 times 0.06`) to get the product of $4.44 (this is the 6% sales tax of $74).

4) Add $4.44 to $74 to get $78.44.

Both methods result you to the same answer, although I would prefer for you to use the first method.